Display counter



E. M. STRASS DISPLAY COUNTER May 9, 1933.

Filed NOV. 11, 1929 INVENTOR.

A TTORNE Y.

Patented May 1933 PATENT OFFICE UNlTED s'r 'rss Imwm at. arms, or rnraorr, iucmo a'n, assmxon ro wanm'cn Icn mom comm, or, =nmorr,-ncmem, a oonroaa'rror or moment DISPLAY COUNTER Application fled November 11, me. Serial Io. 400,401. r

This invention relates to refrigerated or cooled dis lay counters particularly useful in the display of goods such as butter,cheese and various other commodities which may tend to soften, or melt, orlose the original or ap earance through influence of a;

lgh temperature of the atmossha sufii iently phere to cause such result, as is the case in the summer time in the North Temperate zone and more constantly. the case through the southern portion thereof. The object of the invention is to provide, in conjunction with a means for causing cooled air to flow over the articles to maintainthe temperature thereof sufiiciently low to prevent such detrimental results, to provide a counter having a display section constantl .open to permit the handling or dispositlon of goods by clerks or customers and permit'the ready removal of goods therefrom or disposition of goods therein.

I am aware of structures previously designed for this purpose in which a refrig erating coil is so positionedin or relative to the compartment containing or displaying.

the oods as to cause a circulation of the air in t e compartment toward and from the refrigerating coil or surface that might be directly cooled thereby.

My lnvention seeks to avoid the use of a refrigerating coil within the confines of the display compartment, to provide a compartment that is open to atmosphere and to provide a means for constantly passing cooled air over the articles under such condition that atmospheric air may enter the.

compartment, and to withdraw the? air from the compartment in such manner as to cause a distribution of the air overv the various articles of the compartment and to recool the air thus withdrawn in a continuous circuit.

These various objects and the several novel features of the construction of display counter embodying my invention are shown in one of the forms I the accompanying drawing in' which. 2

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of 'such a. counter. showing an end section thereof..

Fig. 2 isa cross section of-such display counter showing the refrigerating or cooling apparatus in its relation to the counter.

The counter may be of various forms or shapes as may be desired for any particular installation and is here shown as being of an elongated rectangular form although it is to be that the counter may be'square or other shape in plan view.

Fig. 2 ma be taken as a typical illustration of the eatures of construction and arrangement of the various parts in their 00- operative relationship. It will be seen from the drawing that the display counter comprises side panelsl and 2 in vertical position, on the upper end of which is secured shelves 3 'and4 and if the device be rectangular or circular in form the walls 1 and 2 and the shelves 3 and 4 preferably extend about the circumference or several sides of the counter. The shelves may be rabbeted as at 5 or otherwise provided with means to support a vertically positioned glass or transparent member '6 which extends about the' periphery of the structure whether it be rectangular or other form. The upper edge of the member 6 is prefer- .ably reinforced by a frame 7. Extending this chamber, in the arrangement here realized, as is stated hereinafter,

.. fively shown, are positioned conduits 11 and 12 having apertures 13 in thatface of theconduits toward the inner portion of the chamber and there are a series of such a rtures along these conduits as will be un erstood from Fig. 1.- A,

These two conduits 11 and 12 areres ecconnected by the conduits 14- an 15 with a chamber 16 here shownas located beneath the display section of the counter.

and 'in which is positioned a coil ,17 of a refrigerating apparatus (not here shown? through which a refrigerant is circulate perforate table and may continue there-' above centrally within the space defined by the glass wall 6.

If the counter be of an elongated form I preferably provide spaced walls 21 and 22 extending centrall between the walls 6 and 6a aswill be un erstoodin Fig. 1 and the pipe discharges into the channel pro-' vided' between these two walls. It will be noted further that in the event an elongated structure is utilized there may be several air discharge pipes 20 leading to this space 23 between the walls 21 and 22 in order to distribute the cooled air along the display counter.

Whether one or more air discharge pipes are utilized I provide a horizontal deflector 24 above the upper edges of the walls 21 and 22, or ipe 20 should it be continued materially a ve the table 8, and this deflector plate may be supported at opposite ends by end members one of which is shown at 25 in Fig. 2. The deflector plate 24 is provided at opposite sides withdownwardly inclined deflector portions 26 and 27, the lower edges of which preferably extend at least to the horizontal plane occuied by the upper edge of the glass walls. he space between the outer free edges of the deflectors 26 and 27 and glass wall 6 is directly open to atmosphere and provides ample space through which goods may be positioned in or removed from the display compartment enclosed by the glass frame 6 and alsopermits an ingress of air if conditions are such as would cause flow of air thereinto.

The oods are to be placed on the perforate tab c8 and may be laced directly thereon with sufficient space tween separate ar- .flector whic .ticles displlayed as to permit a flow of air e apertures 9 into the chamber 10 .2, the purpose being to. hold the 00d slightly above the surface of the per crate plate 8 to avoid obstruction of the apertures therein.

The operation of the device is simple in the extreme, the blower, which ma be operated in any convenient manner, ex austs the air through the conduits 11, 12, 14 and 15 drawing the same over the cooling element and dischar in it upwardly against the (leue to the reduction of pressure atthe apertures of the table surface flows over and about the articles in the display section of the device returning through the apertures in the table 8 into the chamber 30 and thence to the conduits 11 and 12 in a constant circuit. There is therefore a forced flow of cooled airover and about the articles all of which are subject to the cooling influence of air of the same temperature. With cooled display counters heretofore used, in which a refrigerated coil was utilized in such relation to the display sec-- tion that the atmosphere of the chamber was caused to circulate toward and from the re frigerating coil, the cold air passing from the coil increases in temperature as it passes away therefrom and over the goods so that the goods most remote from the coil are not subjected to air of the same temperature as the goods nearer thereto and I obviate such undesired result by causing a forced circulation of cooled air in a display compartment open to atmosphere and a deflector member is used, such for instance as the members 24, 26 and 27, to initially direct the discharged air over the goods and toward the apertures through which it is drawn by the fan.

As the suction efl'ectproduced by the fan is practically evenly distributed over the table 8 by reason of the distribution of the apertures 9, the cooled air is practically evenly distributed over and about the goods.

Any atmosphere which may be drawn into this display portion of the structure through the operation of the suction blower or fan in the casing 18 is beneficialdue to its tendency toxpuri fly the air being circulated over the go s. he fan is preferably operated in such manner as not to produce a very rapid flow of air which might be productive of a drying effect upon the oods. However, by the construction descri ed, particularly the provision of the multiplicity -of apertures 9 in the table 8 and equable distribution of the air flow over the goods is obtained with the consequent result that the air moves so slowly over the goods that the drying efl'ect is negligible. However, any drying effect through use of this apparatus withdrawing the air from the displayespace teristic being the enclosing wall 6 preferably transparent permitting purchasers to observe the goods readily and tending to confine the cooled air to the display section, the discharge of all cooled air over and about the goods by means of a circulating element,

about a cooling element to again discharged over the goods in a continuous circuit.

It will be observed from the foregoing description that the device is comparatively simple and inexpensive in its construction; is eflicient in operation in that the cooled air is practically evenly distributed over and about the goods; that the goods are all submitted to air of the same temperature, and that the various objects of the invention are attained by the construction described Having thus briefly described my mvention, its utility and mode of operation; what .I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States isf 1. In a counter for the display of goods of a character requiring coohng, a display section permanently open topermit an introduction or removal of goods, means for discharging cooled air into the display section above the goods, a deflector tending to cause movement of the discharged air downwardl towards the goods, means whereby the said cooled air is caused to move practlcally uniformly in and about the goods, a conduit whereby the air passing about the goods is delivered to the cooled air discharging means, and a cooling element in said conduit.

2. A display counter for goods such as described, com rising a perforate table on or over which t e goods are to be positioned, a wall positioned about the periphery of the table extending upwardly therefrom, a deflector member positioned above the table equi-distantly disposed relative to the surrounding wall providing a permanent opening to atmosphere permittin introduction or removal of goods, means or withdrawing air from above the table, and discharging the same upwardly against the deflector, and means for cooling the air previous to its discharge.

3. In a counter for the display of goods requiring to be cooled, a display section comprising a table having a multiplicity of comparatively small apertures distributed approximately uniformly over its surface, a transparent wall about the periphery of the table, supporting means for the tab e, a deflector member positioned centrally over the table, a chamber beneath the apertured table means for drawing air from the chamber an dischargin the same upwardly against the deflector w ereby the said dischaiiied air is initially directed overvthe goods may be placed on the table to pass thro h sai apertures, and means for cooling e air previous to its discharge beneath the de- 4. In a counter for the display of goods requiring to be cooled, a display section comprising a perforate table, a transparent wall adjacent the periphery of the table, adoflector inember'extending across the central portion of the table in spaced relation with the ripheral wall, a chamber beneath the per orate table, conduits extending within the said chamber having apertures therein pzoviding communication between the chamr and the conduits, a casing below the chamber to which the conduits are connected, a conduit leading from the casing to beneath the deflector member, means for causing the circulation of air from the display section to the chamber and conduit to discharge beneath the deflector member in a continuous circuit, and means for cooling the air at a point distant from the display section.

5. Ina counter for the display of goods requiring to be cooled, a display section comprising a perforate table, supporting means therefor, a'trans arent wall about the periphery of the ta le, a deflector member positioned above the table and in approximately equi-distantly spaced relation with the periphery wall, an imperforate plate in spaced relation beneath the perforate table carried by said supporting means, a plurality of apertured conduits in the space between the perforate table and wall, ex-

haust conduits for the said apertured con-.

duits, a cash beneath the table to which the several ex aust conduits connect at the bottom, a conduit extending from the top of the casing to above the table beneath the deflector, a channel above the table to which the conduit discharges consisting of spaced walls extending longitudinally of the table, the upper edge of the channel being open adjacent the under surface of the deflector, said deflector extending outwardly and downwardly on opposite sides from the channel with the lower depending edges thereof approximately in the same horizontal plane as the up er edge of the ripheral wal and spaced t erefrom a sufli cient distance to permit access to the goods on the table, means for causing a flow of air in a continuous circuit through the casing and over the goods to pass through the apertures of the table to be returned to the casing, and a cooling means in the casing over and about which the air passes in its circuit. l

6. In a counter for the display of goods 1 manently open at the required to be cooled, a display section perto troduction or removal of goods, a ractically horizontal table'having a series apertures practically uniformly distributed over its surface providing a part of said display section, means for causing cooled air to be discharged above the oods to pass downward] thereabout an through the apertures 1n the table, and a wall positioned and.

ada ted to prevent flow. of the cooled air.

honzontally outwardly from the table.

. In testimony whereof I sign this specification.

EDWARD M. STRASS.

permitting the in- 

